Weight of the World
by DoYouKnowWhatI'mSayin
Summary: "You're asking me to give up my entire life, do you realize that?" Kingsley nodded. "Hermione, you really are the only one who can do this. We wouldn't ask you if there was no other way." "I don't know, Kingsley. I don't know if I can do that to Ron." "Hermione, we both know how this is going down. You're either going to this willingly or we'll be forcing you."
1. Witness

**Author's Note: An idea I've been playing around with for a little while. I hope you guys like it! The whole story is going to have lyrics from Daughtry's new album, **_Baptized_**. Just letting you guys know!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of Daughtry's music!**

_And if the weight of the world is on you now_

_But you know you can turn it all around again_

_Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?_

_If you ain't finding love but you're still not giving up_

_Can you witness?_

_If you're down and up but you still wanna live it up_

_Can you witness?_

_And if the weight of the world is on you now_

_But you know you can turn it all around again_

_Can I get a witness?_

_Yeah_

_Can I get a witness?_

_Yeah_

_~Witness~ Daughtry_

Hermione Granger sat in Kingsley Shacklebolt's office, looking at him with an incredulous expression on his face. He stared back at her, patiently waiting for her answer. Hermione opened and closed her mouth a few times like a fish, no sound coming out. She took another moment to collect her thoughts before speaking.

"You're asking me to give up my entire life, do you realize that?" It wasn't a rude question, just a straightforward one.

Kingsley nodded. "Hermione, you really are the only one who can do this. We wouldn't ask you unless there was no other way."

Hermione shut her eyes and twisted the engagement ring on her finger. She took a deep breath. "I don't know, Kingsley. I don't know if I can do that to Ron."

"Hermione," She looked up at him. "we both know how this is going to go down. You're either going to do this willingly or we'll be forcing you."

Hermione glared at him.

"We both know that your life isn't going the way you planned it would. You're not sure marrying Ron is what you really want but because of everyone's expectations your willing to settle. I'm offering you a way out of that, Hermione." Kingsley told her.

"I know, I just don't know if I can live with myself…"

"Could you live with yourself if you married him? I think that's the real question here."

Hermione stared down at the ring on her finger. "No." She answered quietly.

"Then do what we're asking of you, Hermione. This way, everyone wins."

"And if I don't?"

"Then we'll break your wand and banish you from the Wizarding World."  
Hermione gasped. She didn't believe it.

"We're that desperate, Hermione. So are you going to do it willingly or not?"

"I am." She answered after a moment of silence.

"Great, I'll send the owl to them right away. You can wait in the lounge until they arrive." He dismissed her.

Hermione rose from her seat and silently slipped out the door.

An hour later Hermione once again sat in Kingsley's office, this time with four Slytherins. Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Draco Malfoy, and Astoria Greengrass were also there.

"I assume the four of you have heard about our plan." Kingsley addressed them.

They nodded. Blaise Zabini leaned forward and asked, "Are you sure this is going to work?"

Kingsley ran a large hand down his tired face. "No, we don't. But as of right now this is the best plan we have. Our world is in shambles, if you five can succeed I think this will be a step in the right direction."

"Only a step?" Draco Malfoy didn't looked happy when he heard that. "You told us this was going to fix everything."

"Well, we can never really be sure can we?" Kingsley asked him calmly.

"I guess not." Hermione said softly biting her lip and looking out the window. The four Slytherins looked at her curiously and noticed she was close to tears.

"Well, if anyone can do this we can." Astoria Greengrass announced with a determined look on her face. "We owe the wizarding world this, don't we guys?" She looked at her companions sharply.

"Yeah, we do." Theodore Nott voiced his agreement. Draco and Blaise only nodded and stared at the floor.

Hermione turned back to the Minister. "So what do we do first?"

"First, you have to break off your engagement with Ron." Hermione shut her eyes and sat back in her chair, Kingsley gave her a sympathetic look. "Once that happens we give the press a few weeks to get over it. Then, we move on to the second phase."

"What's phase two?" Blaise asked curiously.

"That's where Astoria comes in. Somehow, she and Hermione have to become friends. I don't care how you two make it work, but you have to get it done. We'll assess where we stand once that's done." Kingsley informed them.

"So far it sounds pretty easy." Astoria commented, glancing briefly at Hermione. She didn't give an indication that she'd heard what they were talking about.

Finally, Hermione opened her eyes and leaned forward. "It won't work. They'll never believe that I just randomly chose to leave Ron. Not after everything that's happened."

Kinsley's eyes laced together in confusion and he sighed. "We didn't think about that. Somehow, we have to give you a good reason to leave him."

"I know." Draco spoke up. "We have to frame him doing something that Hermione would never be able to forgive."

"Like what?" Blaise asked, clearly not following Draco's thought process.

"We catch him cheating." Draco stood up. "There's a bar that I've gone to a few times on my travels. Isn't Ron going on some big European tour with the Cannons?" Draco directed his question at Hermione.

"Yes, he leaves tonight." Hermione told him.

"And he's sure to pass that bar on the tour, it's very popular among Quidditch players. All we have to do is make sure he has enough to drink that he does something incredibly stupid and with that small brain of his it'll be incredibly easy to set up. All we have to do is get someone to tip Rita Skeeter off. It'll be on the front page for weeks." Draco explained.

Hermione chuckled softly. "Draco's right. It's almost a perfect plan really."

"What's wrong with it?" Draco snapped.

"Who's going to tip Rita Skeeter off? It has to be someone believable, someone close to Ron." Hermione stood up to face him.

"What about the Boy Who Lived himself?" Blaise suggested. "Rita would go to the end of the world and back on a tip from him."

"No, Harry would rather handle things quietly, he hates the press and everyone knows it. No, it has to be better than that." Hermione told them.

"Then it has to be someone who's close to him but would really want Ron to get caught. Someone that's clearly after Hermione's attention." Astoria said.

"Oliver Wood." Theodore Nott spoke up. "For the last four months the press has been convinced he has his eyes on Hermione and he even informed Rita Skeeter that he's going to get her, one way or another."

"How do you know that?" Hermione asked him.

"I read the Daily Prophet just like everyone else." Theodore told her.

"Oh." She said quietly.

"But who's going to tip Oliver Wood off?" Draco asked them, bringing them back to the subject at hand.

"Hermione should." Astoria eye's shone with excitement. "She could arrange a lunch with him, make sure the press sees them together, and all she has to do is plant a seed of doubt in Oliver's mind. He'll be dying to inform Rita and sweep in to pick up of the pieces of Hermione's shattered heart! It's perfect!"

Hermione nodded in agreement. "I'll write to him tonight and ask him to lunch tomorrow. The sooner the better."

Kingsley was smiling at the five of them. "Perfect. I'll see you when you've completed phase two."


	2. Traitor

**Author's Note: I'm so happy that everyone seems to be enjoying this story! Here are a few replies to the reviewers.**

**Ramyfan- No this is not going to be a Dramione, sorry!**

**TheGirlWhoIsInLoveWithJapan- Thanks so much for your review!**

** -No, this is not a marriage law fic. I'm sorry if the part about Hermione bugs you but it will make sense father along in the story.**

**Modges- You're defiantly following my thought process! That's awesome! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any Daughtry lyrics.**

_I'm not a criminal_

_I'm not a villain_

_Yeah this is personal_

_A drive-by killing_

_Your guns are loaded_

_And your lies are the bullets_

_So here is the trigger_

_Go ahead and pull it now_

_Are you sure you want to play this game?_

_Are you sure you want to play it?_

_~Traitor~ Daughtry~_

Hermione Granger hurried to the train station to see off her fiancé, Ronald Weasley. His train left in ten minutes and she had promised him she'd be there. She walked quickly through the station, keeping her eye out for his bright red hair. She finally spotted him waiting on one of the platforms looking around impatiently. She waved when he spotted her and hurried over.

"Hermione!" He called.

"Sorry I'm late." She told him adjusting the collar on his jacket. "You know how Kingsley is, always keeps you later than you were expecting!"

Ron laughed. "Yes he does, what was your meeting even about anyways?" He asked curiously.

"Oh, you know." Hermione shrugged, her hands laying against Ron's chest. "Just some plan for the Auror Department. We don't have anything concrete yet just some ideas floating around that we're discussing." She felt like the world's worst person lying to him.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out you're good at that stuff, Moine." He told her. She smiled up at him and kept messing with his jacket, feeling awful about what she was about to do to him. "Write to me if you start making any wedding plans while I'm gone. Who knows what awful ideas my mother and Ginny will come up with."

Hermione laughed at his comment. "So far they've had lovely ideas. I really don't understand what you're talking about." That was a huge lie.

"You'd think I was gay, a lavender suit, really?" Ron exclaimed. Hermione laughed again.

"NOW BOARDING THE 7:20 TRAIN TO HUNTINGDON, ENGLAND!" Came the announcement.

Ron grimaced. "That's us, I better get going. You know, it's not too late to come with me."

Hermione shook her head. "You know I'm busy or otherwise I would."

"I know, I just thought I'd offer again." His eyes strayed to a women walking past them and he raised his eyebrows. Hermione pretended not to notice.

"Well," She said stiffly. "I better get going then. See you in a few months, Ronald."

His gaze drifted back to Hermione. "Bye, I love you, Hermione."

"I love you too, Ronald." She kissed him quickly and watched him board the train. She waited and waved at the train as it pulled out of the station. Then she took a deep uncertain breath and headed back to her flat.

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When she arrived home she quickly took off her heels, they were absolutely killing her feet, removed her scarf and hung up her coat. She shivered as she turned up the heat and headed into the kitchen to make herself some hot chocolate. When she had finished she sat down at the table and wrote a letter to Oliver, asking him to meet her for lunch at two the very next day. She reread the letter before tying the letter to her owl's leg and telling her to wait for a reply. She watched her owl, Artemis, until she flew out of sight, sipping her hot chocolate and thinking over the meeting she'd had with Kingsley that day. It was late before Oliver finally replied to her but luckily he was more than thrilled to be meeting her for lunch the next day. She only hoped she could be as convincing as she needed to be to make this work.

After the war there had clearly been a sharp division between the purebloods and the half-bloods and muggleborns. At the end of the day winning the war had only eliminated the threat, unfortunately winning the war hadn't changed much in society at all. There were still dark wizards on the loose wreaking havoc and society was clearly split between the supporters of each side. Kingsley was asking for a lot from her, and really not just her but the other four also. He was putting the entire Wizarding World's future in their hands and Hermione wasn't very thrilled about it.

"God," Hermione leaned her head back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling. "tell me what to do. I don't think I can do this alone."

It had been a long time since Hermione had prayed. When she'd found out about the Wizarding World her perspective on religion had really changed but now she found herself seeking help from someone she believed she had left behind long ago. The world above her was silent, and the tears began to stream down her face as she shut her eyes, her head still tilted upward.

"Please," She begged. "I can't do this. Please."

The world above continued to stay silent.

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The next morning Hermione woke up to an owl pecking at her window. She sighed and got out of bed to open her window and let it in. It stuck out it's leg and pecked her affectionately when she went to untie the letter. She fed the owl a treat and then examined the letter, it was from Ron so he must have arrived in Huntingdon already. She looked at the letter and then at the clock, she was already running a bit late for her first meeting of the day with a client so she just tossed the letter on the table and decided she would read it later.

At approximately ten o'clock Hermione walked in to a small café and spotted her client already there waiting for her. "Good morning! I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long."

Draco Malfoy sat back in his chair and glared at Hermione Granger across the table. "No you haven't. So can we get this thing done with?"

Hermione shot him a look before flagging down a waiter to take order. "Hi, can I have a pumpkin spice latté and a blueberry muffin, please?"

"Will that be all?" The waiter asked her.

"Yes, thank you." She told the waiter who hurried off to place her order.

"I have no idea why you picked a muggle place for our meeting." Draco snapped. He was defiantly not a morning person.

"Stop complaining, Malfoy, I'm doing you a favor. Now, you want to tear down and then reconstruct the ballroom along with the left wing, am I correct?" Hermione asked him looking over her notes from their last meeting.

"Yes. I still don't understand why we couldn't have had this bloody meeting in your office." He wasn't going to let it go.

"You couldn't have a meeting in my office because you're not doing the construction through my company. I am simply designing the left wing and the ballroom for you because you insist on using a different construction company." Hermione told him calmly.

Draco Malfoy simply rolled his eyes and looked over a sketch that she had pushed across the table when the waiter had come with her food. He raised his eyebrows and looked up at her. "Not bad."

Hermione glanced at him but didn't say anything.

"What would the cost of something like this be?"

"Well, I can't give you the exact but the estimate is about five hundred thousand gallons." Hermione told him taking a sip of her latté. Draco thought for a moment.

"That's a decent deal, better than I could find anywhere else." He admitted. "How much do I owe you for the designs?"

"I haven't really thought about that."

"Would ten gallons do it?"

"That sounds like a good deal, I'm glad I could help you, Malfoy."

"What would Weasley say?" Draco smirked at her as she glared at her.

"I really must go, I have to do some paperwork at the office before my next appointment."

Draco leaned forward. "You wouldn't happen to be having lunch with Oliver Wood, would you?" He asked her.

The look she gave him was enough. He sat back with a satisfied look on his face. "Well, thank you very your help, Granger. I expect we'll be working with one another in the future."

Hermione nodded and left the café as fast as possible.


	3. The World We Knew

**Author's Note: I'm so glad that everyone is following and enjoying this story! I just wanted to say please listen to the song for each chapter because the songs are a huge inspiration to the story and they really are important!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any Daughtry lyrics.**

_Life's so short_

_And it goes by fast_

_And we can't get it back_

_The world we knew_

_It was so simple then_

_Me and You_

_Thought it would never end_

_Oh, what I wouldn't do _

_To get back _

_To the world we knew_

_~The World We Knew~ Daughtry~_

At two o'clock Hermione Granger entered the Three Broomsticks where she was meeting Oliver Wood for lunch. She smiled as she spotted him in a secluded booth in the corner and headed over. He stood up to greet her with a smile and a kiss on the cheek. She blushed as she sat down.

"It was such a surprise when you wrote to me." Oliver admitted. "I just couldn't believe it."

Hermione laughed softly and took a sip of her butterbeer. "I've been meaning to write to you for a while, Oliver, I'm just so busy I never get around to it." She lied.

Oliver smiled at her and took a sip of his own drink. "So how have you been, Hermione?"

"Oh, fine thanks for asking." She placed her hands on the table in front of her. "Yourself?"

"Very well thanks for asking. I'm guessing that work is going well?"

"Oh, it's splendid!" She gushed, her eyes shining. "We just closed a monumental project, I'm so proud of my team!"

Oliver laughed at her antics. "Of course, you're probably the best architect in the Wizarding World!"

Hermione blushed and looked down at the table. "Not the best." She mumbled.

"Now Hermione we both know you don't have to be modest with me." Oliver winked at her. "And of course I should ask about the fiancé shouldn't I?"

"Oh, you don't have to." Hermione told him softly.

"Something wrong with dear old Ronald? I've read about all those cheating allegations in the paper, you know if you and I were together I would never give you a reason to doubt me." Oliver leaned forward and placed his hands over her own.

She smiled up at him. "Sometimes people make mistakes, but we have to just forgive them and move on, right?" Her voice was soft and Oliver caught on immediately.

"You mean that Rita Skeeter wasn't penning lies? He really cheated?" Oliver's expression was incredulous.

"I don't know for certain, no ones ever actually caught him in the act." Hermione bit her lip and glanced around the restaurant. "But I just have a feeling that he may have."

Oliver's eyebrows rose at her words. "If he was cheating on you, wouldn't you want to know?"

"Of course!" Hermione exclaimed as if he was crazy. "I don't want to marry someone who won't ever be faithful. I would much rather find out sooner rather than later."

Oliver nodded along as she told him this, a sympathetic look on his face. There was a flash and Hermione turned her head to see someone from the newspaper had taken a picture of the two of them together. Oliver followed her gaze and began to get up.

"I'll make sure they don't publish that for you, Hermione."

"No," Hermione clutched his hands. "it's fine, Oliver. I don't mind being seen with you at all."

Oliver looked slightly relieved at her words. "I'm glad we could have lunch like this together, Hermione."

"I am too. So tell me what you've been up since we last met?"

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When Hermione left the café someone was outside waiting for her. She glanced at him and rolled her eyes, clearing annoyed that she was being interrupted by him.

"Well, how did the lunch with Oliver go?" Blaise Zabini asked walking alongside her.

"It went exactly how we talked about it going, Zabini." Hermione answered shortly. "Now why on earth are you following me around London?"

"I wanted to make sure everything ran smoothly for you, that's all. Kingsley is asking a lot of all of us. I'm nervous about it, you know? Like what if we don't succeed? What if we fail? What then?" He asked her running a hand through his hair.

Hermione took a deep breath. "I don't know. We just can't think about that stuff, we just have to focus on what we can control and hope that we succeed." She told him.

He nodded in agreement. "Do you really want to do this Hermione?"

"Do what?" She asked him turning down a side street.

"Leave Ron. I mean, you two are engaged so you have to love him, right?"

Hermione sighed. "I do…I just… this is all moving to fast for me. I never had any time to step back and look at my life… I was rushed…I honestly don't know how I feel about any of this. I'm just trying not to feel, maybe that'll make it easier." She leaned back against the side of a building.

Blaise leaned back beside her and observed the other people on the street. "We don't even have all the instructions yet. I mean, Kingsley is practically sending us on this wild goose chase. We don't even know what we're working towards, all we know is that we're all involved somehow."

Hermione turned her head so she was looking at him. "Astoria was right though, if anyone can do this, it's us. As long as we're all in it together."

"We are. Draco, Theo, Astoria and I are in this for the long haul. We're just worried your going to back out at some point."

"I'm not, so you guys don't have to worry about me, okay?"

Blaise took her hand and kissed it. "Well, I may not know what my roll is but I hope that is has something to do with you." He told her.

Hermione blushed deeply and avoided eye contact. "Well, thank you Blaise. I guess I'll be seeing you?" She asked as he lowered her hand.

"You will." Blaise told her before turning and walking back up the street.

Hermione turned and headed in the other direction, walking briskly back to her office. When she got there she shut the door behind her, dropped her purse on the floor, and slid down until she was sitting with her back to the door. She stared at the opposite wall before she hung her head and cried into her lap. "I'm so sorry, Ron." She choked out in between sobs.


	4. Broken Arrows

**Author's Note: Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed the story so far. You have no idea how much I appreciate it! Like I said before, please listen to the songs for each chapter guys and tell me when you do! The songs have been such a huge inspiration to this story and Daughtry is just such an incredible band that your bound to like a few, if not all of them!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any Daughtry lyrics.**

_Hey_

_Show me one man who never makes mistakes_

_Oooo,_

_And I pay_

_All of my time and every dime I make_

_But today_

_The best of intentions_

_I lay at your feet_

_And I need you to see past the worst part of me_

_I'm tired of taking my aim_

_When I keep on missing_

_There's gotta be a better way_

_There's gotta be a better way_

_Seems like every little word I say_

_Keeps on getting twisted_

_Coming out wrong_

_So baby hold on_

_I'm tryin' to hit the mark_

_But I'm shooting with broken arrows_

_It's like I'm shooting with broken arrows_

_~Broken Arrows~ Daughtry_

Hermione woke up screaming from her nightmare. She had been running through a dark forest, breathing heavily. The only problem was, Hermione couldn't remember who or what she had been running from. She placed her elbows on her knees and hung her head, taking deep breathes and reminding herself that everything was fine, it was only a dream. Then reality hit her, that might have been a dream, but reality wasn't a fairy tale either. She groaned and looked at her alarm clock, it was five in the morning but she knew she wouldn't be able to get any more sleep. Instead, she swung her feet out of bed and left her room, feeling her way into the kitchen in the darkness. She turned on one of the lights and started her coffee before padding her way into the family room to watch something on television. She ended up watching reruns of the Big Bang theory until there was a scratching sound at her window. An unfamiliar owl waited outside, a copy of today's _Daily Prophet _in it's beak. Hermione groaned inwardly before unlatching the window and allowing the owl to hop inside and drop the paper on the counter. She put a few coins in the pouch tied to its leg, fed it a treat, and sent it on its way. Nervously, she picked up the newspaper and looked at the headline.

**RONALD WEASLEY CAUGHT CHEATING ON HIS FINACEE, WAR HEROINE HERMIONE GRANGER, AT THE WIZARDS INN AND PUB**

Hermione poured herself another cup of freshly brewed coffee and sat down at the kitchen table to read the article. It was a typical Rita Skeeter article, overly exaggerated and consisting of twisted facts, but it got the job done and in the very last paragraph she had written that there had been an anonymous tip from someone very close to Hermione Granger. Oliver wood had come through for them and tipped of Rita Skeeter who had plastered the front page with a blown up picture of Ron Weasley snogging-_bloody hell was that Lavender Brown?! _

Hermione couldn't believe her eyes. There was no way that the witch Ron was snogging was Lavender Brown, that just wasn't possible, was it? But Hermione had a feeling that someone had set this up in order to make sure that the article would stay a headliner for a good long time. Someone had made sure that one of Ron's old flames was there that night, that Ron would specifically be caught snogging that person. And she had a pretty good idea of who would want to interfere that way. The one and only Draco Malfoy.

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Just a few weeks ago the last thing Hermione Granger had ever expected was to be meeting up with four other wizards from Slytherin at eight in the morning on a Wednesday in a muggle café. Now it didn't seem too far from normal, and Hermione wasn't sure how she felt about that. The café she had chosen for today's meeting was a quaint little place and she quite liked it because it was quiet and well off the beaten path as one would say. She often liked to have meetings with her clients outside of her office and today's café was high on her list of meeting places. In fact, she was getting to know some of the staff there quite well.

"Good morning Miss Granger it really is lovely to see you again." Jacob smiled down at her. "What will you be having today?"

Hermione scanned the menu and then set it down. "I don't know, are there any specials today?"

"I'm sorry, but we don't do specials at breakfast." Jacob informed her.

"That's too bad." She picked the menu back up and glanced over it once more. "I think the pick three with buttermilk pancakes, scrambled eggs, and some sausage sounds lovely this morning. I'll have that with some orange juice, please."

"That does sound lovely, Miss Granger." The bell on the door rang and Jacob glanced up. "This must be the rest of your party right here."

Hermione turned around and glanced at the four people who had just entered the café, their cheeks tinged pink from the cold wind and looks of confusion on their faces. Hermione laughed softly. "Yes, that would be them."

Jacob hurried over and showed them to where Hermione was sitting. "Can I take your orders or would you like some time to look over the menu?" He asked them politely.

"We just got here, obviously we need more time." Draco snapped impatiently. Hermione glared at him and Astoria kicked his shin under the table.

"I'm sorry," Astoria apologized to Jacob. "my fiancé here is not a morning person. If you could give us just a few more minutes that would be wonderful." She smiled up at him.

"Of course ma'am." He turned back to Hermione. "I'll be right back with your drink."

"Thank you, Jacob." Hermione said to him. When he left Hermione turned to Draco. "Jacob is a nice guy don't be so rude to him next time." She snapped.

"I don't know why you keep picking bloody muggle cafes for our meetings, Granger." Draco ignored her comment. "They're hard to find and they're always a long walk and have you not noticed it's bloody cold out there?"

The other diners in the café gave Draco disapproving looks as he raised his voice. He glared at them, huffed, and returned to trying to set his menu on fire with his eyes.

"Well, I like Hermione's choice of a café. It's quite a quaint little place and it would do you some good to be a bit more cultural, Draco." Blaise said leaning back in his chair and winking at Hermione. She laughed softly at his antics.

"I'm not entirely sure that's what's meant by cultural, Blaise." Theodore Nott commented.

"Oh, well, you know want I mean." Blaise said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Now, Hermione, tell me what's good on the menu or I may just have to try absolutely everything!"

"It is all very good." Hermione told him as Jacob returned with her drink before hurrying off to help another costumer. "But I really do like the pick three option, I get it almost every time I come."

"Hmmm…I think I'm going to have to go with the chocolate chip pancakes, the bacon, and some fruit. That just sounds absolutely wonderful, don't you think?" Blaise asked his companions.

"I think I agree with you there, Blaise, since I'm going to get the same thing." Theo told him. "Now have you decided on anything yet Draco?"

"I'm just going to eat some bloody pancakes." Draco told him sharply.

Astoria rolled her eyes. "Don't be difficult, Draco. I'm sure the food here is very good."

Draco ignored her comment as Jacob had returned to ask for their orders. When he left again they all exchanged uncomfortable glances. "So," Blaise began. "did everyone see the Daily Prophet this morning?"

Hermione nodded uncomfortably. Astoria reached across the table and covered one of Hermione's hands with her own. "That has to be hard," She sympathized. "even when you knew it was coming."

Hermione looked at the engagement ring on her finger. "I mean, it's not exactly something you want to wake up to but I figured it was going to happen eventually anyways."

Astoria nodded sympathetically and withdrew her hand. Theo spoke up. "So when do you plan on breaking off the engagement?"

"I don't know, Kingsley didn't really give us a lot of guidance on this one." She told him.

"Kingsley didn't give a lot of guidance on anything." Draco commented. "All he said was here's what needs to get done, now go do it and I'll see you when it's all over."

The other nodded in agreement. "Well we know that the next step is for Hermione to break off her engagement with Ron. I just worry that things could turn violent, I don't think Hermione should go alone." Astoria told them.

"Who said she was going anywhere?" Draco asked her.

"Well, I mean it kind of seems like we have a time limit on this thing so the sooner the engagement is called off the better. Also, the quicker she calls off the engagement the more the press will want to cover it. I was thinking Hermione should go to one of his games and break it off with him there." Astoria explained.

Hermione nodded in agreement. "That actually sounds like a very good idea, and having someone with me wouldn't be a bad idea either." Astoria beamed at her.

"I'll go." Theodore suggested. The others looked at him. "What? I'm the best person for the job, I haven't been in the press as much as the rest of you and if I went it would raise the least amount of questions."

"He's got a point." Blaise said.

"Then it's agreed, Theo and Hermione go." Draco announced. "Now, when should they leave?"

Hermione began digging in her purse, pulling out a Cannons schedule and a personal calendar. She flipped through the calendar until she found the month and compared it to the Cannons schedule. "Would Saturday work for you, Theo?" She asked him. "I have a lot of appointments this week and I feel that if we wait any longer we'll lose the press coverage."

"Saturday is fine with me." Theo told her as their food arrived.

Blaise laughed and looked at them. "Who would have ever thought we'd be manipulating the press for our cause?"

"I don't think any of us did." Astoria replied and they all chuckled.

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Saturday morning Hermione and Theodore Nott waited at the train station together. Astoria, Draco, and Blaise agreed that it would be best if they did not come to see the two off at the station for that surely attract some attention. Luckily, neither Hermione nor Theo saw anyone they recognized so they didn't have to worry about anyone talking of seeing them together.

"Ten minutes," Theo told her glancing at his watch. "the train leaves in ten minutes."

"We should be boarding any second now then." Hermione told him without taking her eyes off the muggle newspaper she was reading. Theo watched her with an amused expression of his face. "What?" She asked when she finally glanced up.

"Nothing." Theo told her before looking at the face of his watch again.

"A bit anxious are we?" Hermione asked him.

"I just like to be on time, that's all." Theo told her scanning the train station. "Do you really think he'd hurt you?" He added as an afterthought.

Hermione bit her lip and turned the question over in her mind. "Honestly? I don't know. I'd certainly like to say no but you just…you just have to take precautions sometimes."

"Astoria really likes having you around." Theo told her. "She doesn't do a lot with girl friends besides the normal pureblood crap stuff she's forced to go to."

"She doesn't like that stuff?" Hermione asked surprised.

"I'm sure she does to some extent, but those people aren't really her friends. They're just acquaintances she has to socialize with because of her status."

"Are any of you guys really friends then or do you all just socialize because of your status?"

"I think we really are friends and if we aren't now then we will be when this whole bloody thing ends."

"Why do you think Kingsley chose us five? Like, what on earth drove him to the conclusion that we would be the best five for this job?"

"I don't know." Theo leaned his head back and shut his eyes. "Sometimes I think that Kingsley is really just off the old rocker and sometimes I think that he was right and that he just somehow knew we would be the best five for the job. Maybe one day he'll tell us."

"Yeah, maybe one day." Hermione replied softly.

"NOW BOARDING THE 10:30 TRAIN TO BADAROUX, FRANCE." Said a voice over the intercom.

"Come on, that's us." Theo told her grabbing their bags and heading towards the train. Hermione tossed the muggle newspaper before following behind him.

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It was a haul to get to Badaroux, France and when they finally arrived they both wanted nothing more than a nice long nap. Instead, they got to go to a Quidditch game. Hermione followed Theo through the gates of the large Quidditch complex and up the stairs to their seats. For once things seemed to be going their way as the match didn't last very long at all, though that was largely due the fact that the Chuddley Cannons really were the worst team in the league.

"What a great match." Theo commented sarcastically when it ended. "So what do we do next?"

"I'm going to go wait for him outside the locker rooms. I guess you can stand guard somewhere not real noticeable?" She suggested.

"Are you sure you don't want me right there with you?" Theo asked clearly concerned.

"No, I think I'll be quite alright. I doubt he'll hurt me in front of a crowd like this, don't you?"

"You just never know. If you need help, just yell for me alright? I'll try to be within eyesight."

"Okay, I will." She disappeared into the crowd and Theo tried to find a position near the locker rooms that wouldn't put him in the direct line of sight.

Hermione waited, tapping her foot on the ground for Ron to come out along with the rest of the team. After what seemed like hours, they finally emerged from the locker rooms, disappointment written clearly on their faces, their heads hung in shame, and their feet dragging.

"Ron," Hermione called softly "can I speak with you a moment?"

"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed walking over to her and hugging her. "You made it!"

"Well, I didn't just come all the way from London to watch the match, I also came to speak with you." She told him, shuffling around in her purse until she found her copy of the Daily Prophet from Wednesday. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Ron's face paled at the sight of the newspaper and his shoulders drooped. "Hermione, I can explain if you'll just listen to me. It was a stupid, one-time thing. I was drunk and Lavender was there and then one thing led to another-"

"I think that's enough, Ron." Hermione interrupted him softly. "I really want to believe you when you say it was a one-time thing but I honestly don't think I can."

"What are you saying, Hermione?" Ron asked her nervously, reaching out to hold her hand which she snatched away.

"I'm saying that I can't do this anymore, Ron. I'm calling the engagement off." She began to slide her engagement ring off her finger.

Ron grabbed her forearms. "Hermione, please listen to what I'm trying to tell you-"

"Ron I don't think-"

"Listen!" He roared, shaking her like a rag doll. Hermione's eyes widened in fear and just as Theo was about to hex Ron into oblivion there was a flash and Rita Skeeter came to the rescue. When he saw her Ron automatically let go of Hermione and took a few steps back.

"Is this really what I think it is?" Rita gushed. "Is Hermione Granger, one-third of the Golden Trio, really breaking off her engagement to Ronald Weasley, another third of the Golden Trio?"

"Yes, Rita. We are calling our engagement off." Hermione slipped off the ring and pressed it into Ron's palm, curling his fingers over it. "I'm sorry, Ron. I just can't do this anymore."

"Hermione wait!" Ron called after her retreating form. She didn't turn around, just glanced at Theo and listened for the soft scuffle of his footsteps behind her as Rita's questions and Ron's shouts faded into the background.


	5. Long Live Rock and Roll

**Author's Note: Thanks so much to everyone reading and reviewing this story. I just finished reading The Book Thief and I really love that book. I think what really made the book so special (besides the story of course) is that Death was the narrator. Now that I've had about an hour (I know that's not very long) to reflect on the novel it's given me some ideas for this story and some future ones. Anyway, I'm rambling and I know everyone just wants to get to the story and that most of you will skip over this, so…here goes it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of Daughtry's lyrics.**

_No we'll stop believing _

_That's the journey of our lives_

_So won't you help me pour some sugar on these memories tonight?_

_Sing it_

_Long live rock_

_Long live roll_

_Long live big guitars and music for the soul_

_Sing it_

_Don't give up, don't grow old_

_Long live crazy nights and records made of gold_

_Long live rock and roll_

_~Long Live Rock and Roll~ Daughtry~_

Hermione Granger didn't sleep that night at all. Instead the young witch sat by the window in her hotel room, staring out it with a blank expression on her face. She could hear Theo's soft snores slipping under the cracks of the door connecting their rooms and she wished that she could sleep as well as he was. Unfortunately, she could not because her mind was plagued by memories of her and Ron. Questions about why she would ever agree to ruin her own life and the lives of her friends in the process of the crazy plan haunted her. She felt like she couldn't breathe, and maybe she really couldn't for her world had begun to crash in on her. Calling off the engagement was only the first of the pillars to fall. But it took all of them to support the platform, so eventually…the rest would fall as well. As you can understand, these thoughts weren't the kind that one would drift off to sleep while thinking.

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A few days after calling off the engagement Hermione Granger was back at home, making herself a nice dinner and dancing around her kitchen to some muggle music. When she'd told her parents that she'd broken off the engagement with Ron they had stopped by with two large tubs of Ben and Jerry's ice cream and a stack of muggle cds. Hermione had laughed pretty hard when she'd saw what they'd brought along and was very grateful for the gesture. They'd stayed at her flat for the evening, listening to music, eating ice cream, and talking. Sometimes, Hermione realized, you didn't need your best friend to come save you in times like these. Sometimes, your parents with memories of all the crazy things you'd done when you were little and gossip about the neighbors was all you needed. Hermione could never really explain to them how much that evening had meant to her. Just being with them and not talking about her problems, just laughing. Just being loved, no questions asked. Maybe one day if she'd gotten the chance she would have been able to express herself. But she couldn't then, and she never did get the chance.

Now Hermione was singing at the top of her lungs as she danced around her kitchen preparing a salad. "I believe the world is burning to the ground, oh well, I'm guess we're gonna find out! Let's see how far we've come! Let's see how far we've come! Well I believe it all is coming to an end, oh well, I guess we're gonna pretend. Let's see how far we've come! Let's see how far we've come!"

She laughed as Crookshanks hopped up on the counter and stared at her intently. "Do you like the song?" She asked him laughing. He mewed in response.

Some people may have looked in on that moment and assumed that Hermione Granger had either completely gone off her rocker as a women like her simply just did not act that way or they would have thought that was her way of showing herself that she could move on after Ron. Neither the former nor the latter would have been correct. In truth, that moment in the kitchen was a reminder that the girl before Hogwarts, the innocent little girl, and the grown women after Hogwarts, or after a war I should say, were still the same person. That moment, the music, the food cooking on the stove, the dancing, it all reminded Hermione that Kingsley and the rest of the Wizarding World could not take everything from her. A part of her would always belong to the world before Hogwarts, the muggle world, just as another part of her would always belong to the world of Hogwarts, and another part to the world after Hogwarts. But the muggle world was hers and hers alone and no one could take that from her. Sometimes, the more defining moments in our life don't have to be our greatest acts. They can be a realization, and for Hermione Granger one of her greatest realizations happened thanks to her parents, Rob Thomas and Matchbox Twenty, and a growing music industry that the Wizarding World would never understand. At least not yet.

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Five days later Hermione Granger sat in Draco Malfoy's office looking over the plans for the manor.

"I must say, Malfoy," Hermione told him. "I'm surprised you changed your mind and decided to use my company."

"I didn't change my mind, Astoria insisted." Draco snapped. "Damn that women."

Hermione smiled and went back to the plans. "Well I think this will take about six months to complete, give or take a few weeks."

Draco nodded. "I want it done as quickly as possible Granger. And while you're at it, you and my wife can do this little friendship thing so we can all be done with Kingsley as soon as possible."

"I knew you didn't want me strictly for my architectural services." Hermione laughed.

"How can you be so damn happy, Granger?" Draco Malfoy was not in a humorous mood.

"I'm trying to lighten up some, maybe you should try it sometime." Hermione snapped.

Draco rubbed his eyes with his fists and took a deep breath. He reached across the table and grabbed the contract that Hermione had gotten out of her bag. He flipped through it and signed in the designated places before tossing it back across the desk so it landed in front of her.

"I hope that's all."

"That is all. Construction will start on Monday." Hermione informed him before standing up and gathering her things. "I'll see you then."

She left the office in a hurry but before she could reach the door of the manor Astoria stopped her.

"I thought you might like to stay for tea?" She offered.

Hermione shifted her weight from foot to foot as she thought of the millions of things that she had to get done. Just as she was about to say no she was reminded of the meeting with Kingsley. He'd told them to become friends and Malfoy had just reminded her of that too.

"I think I have a few minutes to spare." Hermione told her. "Sure."

"Great," Astoria smiled and led her out onto the patio where tea was already waiting.

"Will Malfoy be joining us?" Hermione asked her.

"Hmm? Oh, Draco? No he won't be, at least not today." Came Astoria's reply. Hermione nodded her head and took a sip of her tea.

"Such a lovely day." Astoria commented off handedly. Hermione made a noise at the back of her throat that sounded like an agreement. After a few minutes of awkward silence Astoria spoke again. "This must be such an awful experience for you."

"Pardon me?" Hermione looked away from the gardens and over at Astoria.

"This whole plan, it must be an awful experience for you." Astoria restated.

"I don't know if I'd necessarily call it awful." Hermione commented. "But it certainly is an experience."

"Well, isn't everything an experience?"

"Not necessarily." Hermione thought for a moment. "I guess it really just depends on your outlook on life."

"Yes, I guess it does." Astoria sat back in her chair and observed the gardens. "What about your other friends, Hermione? You never speak of them."

Hermione paused for a moment before answering. "I speak with them."

"I'm sure you do. I was just wondering why you never mention them, that's all."

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "I guess time has just gotten away from me."

"Do they know about what's going on? With Kingsley, I mean."

"No, I didn't tell them. Which is probably why we haven't spoken much. Most likely they think I'm crazy."

"You're not crazy. I think anyone would have done what you did if they were in your position."

"If I could do it over again, I wouldn't have done it."

"Really?"

"Really. What about you guys, why would you agree to this?"

Astoria sighed and stirred her tea. "I don't know the boys reasoning." She admitted. "And quite frankly I don't think I want to know. Kingsley brought us all in separately to talk to us. I'm sure we were all threatened in different colorful and effective ways. I guess I figure that if I can help heal a world that my family helped destroy than maybe, in some small way it'll make up for all the bad choices I've made. Maybe it would be my ticket to heaven, in a sense. Though if I'd had more time to think about it, or if I could do it over again, I probably would have disagreed. Seems like this plan is more trouble than its worth." Astoria paused. "Does that make me an awful person?"

Hermione thought about her question for a long while. "No," She finally answered. "I think that just makes you human."


End file.
